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Azure SQL Database vs. SQL Database in Fabric: Key Differences for Developers and DBAs

#fabcon2026 #session #learning #microsoft #fabcon2026-session

Description

Curious about the differences between Azure SQL Database and SQL database in Fabric? This session is perfect for developers and DBAs looking to understand the core architecture differences of these two platforms. Whether you’re optimizing an existing solution or planning your next project, this session will help you make informed decisions & maximize the value of these services.

Key Takeaways

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Azure SQL Database vs
SQL Database in Fabric –
Key Differences for
Developers & DBAs
John Morehouse
Principal Consultant
Denny Cherry & Associates Consulting
United States
Community Speaker
Blogger/Tweeter
John Morehouse
Principal Consultant
Denny Cherry & Associates
john@dcac.com
/in/johnmorehouse
@SQLRUS
Sqlrus.com
He/Him
Nerd
MVP – Data Platform
Microsoft Certified:
Azure Solutions
Architect Expert
Denny Cherry & Associates
Certified IT professionals to help achieve IT goals
Clients ranging from small business to Fortune 10
corporations
Help save on costs while improving IT reliability and solving
challenges
My Slides & Demos
https://bit.ly/mypresentationfiles
Why are you here?
Feature Comparison
Azure SQL Database
SQL Database in Fabric
Show of hands…
How many have seen/used
Azure SQL Database?
How many have seen/used
SQL in Fabric?
DEMO
Agenda
Architecture
HA/DR
Costs & Pricing
Connectivity & Authentication
Q&A
Summary

  1. Drag & drop your photo onto
    the slide.
  2. Resize & crop so the key part
    of the photo will show up
    here. You will want the
    picture to go to ALL THE WAY
    to the top, bottom, and right
    side. On the right, position it
    so it only just barely covers
    the red line.
    IMPORTANT: Only resize photos
    using the CORNER SQUARE to
    maintain proportions (never have
    distorted photos in your slides).
    Use that to get the HEIGHT you
    need (so it touches the top and
    bottom of the slide. Use CROP
    (double click the photo and it will
    show up under “picture format”
    tab) to get the photo to the
    WIDTH you need.
    Architecture
    Control all the things…
    Control
    Granularity
    SaaS
    PaaS
    IaaS
    Azure SQL Database
    General purpose
    Network attached
    storage
    Locally attached SSD for
    tempdb
    Provisioned or
    Serverless
    HA/DR
    HA/DR
    Stateless
    compute
    layer
    Stateful data
    layer
    HA/DR
    Platform feature
    Azure SQL Database
    Fabric SQL database
    Active geo-replication
    Yes
    No
    Automatic backups
    Yes
    Yes
    Availability zones
    Yes
    Yes, automatically
    configured
    Failover groups
    Yes
    No
    Geo-restore
    Yes
    No
    Long-term retention
    (LTR)
    Yes
    No
    Development
    Differences
    Development Differences
    Feature
    Azure SQL Database
    Fabric SQL database
    Database compatibility
    100 - 170
    100-170
    BULK INSERT statement
    Yes, but just from Azure Blob
    storage as a source.
    Yes, via OPENROWSET, with OneLake
    as data source.
    OPENROWSET
    Yes, from blob storage
    Yes, with OPENROWSET BULK
    function (preview)
    Collation - database
    collation
    SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_A
    S
    SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS
    TDE
    Yes
    No
    Always Encrypted
    Yes
    No
    Yes - For certain tiers
    Yes, but the index must be created at
    the same time the table is created, or
    mirroring must be stopped.
    Columnstore indexes,
    clustered
    Pricing
    Azure SQL DB Pricing
    vCore - ~$184 per provisioned core
    vCore Serverless - $.5218/vCore-hour or $0.0001450/vCoresecond
    DTU - ~1.50 per DTU
    Elastic pools are available for cost management
    Reservations are available
    Fabric Capacity
    Defined as Capacity Units (CU)
    Capacity units is a measurement of time for workloads
    Capacity can service multiple workloads
    F2 = 2 capacity units, 60 CUs in a 30 second block of time.
    1CU = ~0.383 vCores. F64 = ~24 vCores
    Reservations are available, elastic pools are not
    Capacity Units Pricing
    SKU
    Cores
    Capacity unit (CU)
    Pay-as-you-go
    F2
    0.766
    $262.80/month
    F4
    1.532
    $525.60/month
    F8
    3.064
    $1,051.20/month
    F16
    6.128
    $2,102.40/month
    F32
    12.256
    $4,204.80/month
    F64
    24.512
    $8,409.60/month
    F128
    49.024
    $16,819.20/month
    F256
    98.048
    $33,638.40/month
    F512
    196.096
    $67,276.80/month
    F1024
    392.192
    $134,553.60/month
    F2048
    784.384
    $269,107.20/month
    Pausing Capacity
    Fabric Capacity Planning
    Primary Capacity— Day-to-day production workloads.
    Size appropriately to prevent EOM throttling
    Monitoring Capacity—Smaller capacity like an F4, and
    should just have your monitoring workspace(s) for
    the Fabric Capacity Metrics app.
    Development Capacity—Used for development efforts,
    minimizes risks of development efforts impacting
    production workloads.
    Connectivity &
    Authentication
    Connectivity & Authentication
    Azure SQL DB – SQL Authentication or Microsoft
    Entra
    SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), Azure
    Data Studio (ADS), VS Code, Query Editor
    (Portal)
    Private endpoints
    Connectivity & Authentication
    SQL Endpoint
    Microsoft Entra
    Authentication only
    VS Code / SSMS
    Graphical Query Editor
    Managed Private
    Endpoints
    Core Feature Comparison
    Feature
    Azure SQL Database
    SQL database in Fabric (preview)
    Purchasing models
    vCore, DTU
    Provisioned Fabric capacity SKU
    Compute tiers
    Provisioned or serverless
    Serverless
    Elastic pools
    Yes
    Azure RBAC, SQL
    permissions
    Microsoft Entra ID
    authentication, SQL
    authentication
    No
    Fabric workspace roles and sharing
    permissions, SQL permissions
    Secure
    Authentication
    Microsoft Entra ID authentication
    Database mirroring
    to Fabric OneLake
    Yes, manually enabled
    Yes, automatically enabled for all eligible
    tables
    Cross-platform
    queries in Fabric
    Yes, via mirroring to Fabric
    Yes, via Fabric OneLake automatically
    Summary
    Same basic architecture
    SQL in Fabric cannot cross regional boundaries for
    DR
    SaaS vs PaaS (less control)
    Connectivity is different
    In short…
    It’s just SQL
    References
    Overview - https://learn.microsoft.com/enus/fabric/database/sql/overview
    Licensing - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/enterprise/licenses
    Decision Guide - https://learn.microsoft.com/enus/fabric/database/sql/decision-guide
    Feature Comparison - https://learn.microsoft.com/enus/fabric/database/sql/feature-comparison-sql-database-fabric
    Questions?
    Answers!
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    the session?
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    Questions?
    Follow Me on
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    John Morehouse
    Denny Cherry & Associates Consulting
    john@dcac.com
    Sqlrus.com
    Check out
    my blog!
    @SQLRUS
    /in/johnmorehouse
    Slides & Demos